Rams send lone hurdler

Freshman Jessie DeGanahl of the Soroco High School track team took third place in the 300-meter hurdles at the regional track meet in Grand Junction, earning her a trip to the state meet this Friday in Pueblo.

DeGanahl ran a personal best time of 51.9 seconds to earn her the honor.

"It was fun to watch," coach Vicki Beaver said. "She went from 58 seconds at the start of the season to 51 seconds. Now she's only 7/10 of a second away from breaking the school record. She's come a long way."

For a freshman, that's quite an achievement, Beaver added.

"She just did really well," coach Kate Hayne said.

DeGanahl is the only Soroco athlete who qualified for the state track meet, but the team still competed well at the regional meet.

Tara Allen, who was a contender for state, came to the meet with the leg muscle problems but still placed sixth in the triple jump and seventh in the long jump.

"She came into the season with injuries and has never recovered from them completely," Hayne said.

Kristie Glawe threw the discus 97 feet and placed eighth at the meet.

"That gives her an awesome place to start next year," Hayne said.

The girls 400-meter relay team, including Glawe, Allen, DeGanahl and Amanda Goss, placed fourth with a best time of 54.77.

The girls medley relay runners, Meg Hayne, Allen, Glawe and DeGanahl placed seventh with a time of 2:07.28.

The boys 3,200-meter relay team of Matt Hayne, Brandon Gilleland, Brandon Ager and Justin Spaeth ran another personal best time and placed eighth, dropping a remarkable 8 seconds in the run.

Over all, the coaches were happy with how the season ended for most of the team.

"It's always exciting to know that you have kids coming back that are willing to work and improve," Beaver said.